You'll need
- Blocks (any kind)
- Flat surface
Steps
- 1Dump all the blocks into a pile in the middle of the floor so everything is easy to reach
- 2Start stacking one block at a time and talk out loud about balance, 'this one is wobbly, let's steady it'
- 3Challenge your child to build as tall as they can before it topples, counting the blocks as they go
- 4Cheer the crash when it falls, the knock-down is the best part and takes the pressure off building it perfectly
- 5Rebuild together and try one small change, a wider base or lighter blocks on top, to see if it stands longer
- 6For a contest, set a one-minute timer and see who builds the tallest tower before it buzzes
Why this works
Stacking and toppling is cause-and-effect learning your child controls: they make it happen, watch the result, and do it again. Balancing each block builds the fine motor precision and hand-eye coordination that later show up in drawing and self-feeding, and counting the blocks slips in early number sense. Best of all it works when you are running on empty, because you can play it sitting down.
Try also
- –Build bridges and tunnels instead of towers and drive cars through
- –Make a castle or house for small toys to live in
- –Sort the blocks by color as you build
- –Take turns adding one block each and see who makes it topple
- –Build the tallest tower you can while only using one hand
Use soft or lightweight blocks for younger toddlers so a falling tower can't hurt.
